“With COVID-19, all of those memories have come flooding back. It is as if I am back in the NICU staring at that tiny infant and worried that she would get sick. Only now I have to pull myself out of that horrific daydream and stare at my teenager and pray that she will get through this. I am not alone in this. Parents of premature babies worldwide and some of whom had children on the very edge of viability are absolutely terrified. I also worry about the parents in the NICU now. I worry about the preemies that are now teens, young adults, adults, and in the elderly years. Each of them has at least one underlying health condition that can turn COVID-19 into a severe and yes, fatal case.
To health responders and the health care professionals on the front end: I hear you on the seriousness of this illness. Thank you for guiding us on the challenges with COVID-19. You have us parents of vulnerable children and your former tiny patients backing up your concerns completely. To the general public heeding that concern to #stayhome and do the right thing by the young and the old and the immunocompromised, again, we are grateful. You are all our heroes.”
Deb Discenza is co-author of the Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU and founder, PreemieWorld.
She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, “COVID-19 is rattling the nerves of preemie parents everywhere.”
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Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.
